The government has announced plans to establish a disaster recovery site for the eCitizen digital payment platform in a move aimed at protecting public funds and ensuring service continuity.
Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services, Belio Kipsang, said the project is part of ongoing reforms to strengthen digital governance and shield the platform from disruptions, fraud, or cyber threats.
Speaking on Friday, August 15, 2025, during a briefing with the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, the PS noted that the recovery site will provide a backup system to guarantee uninterrupted services even during emergencies.
Securing Public Resources
“The government is committed to safeguarding public resources and ensuring the eCitizen platform is resilient against any eventuality,” said Kipsang.
He explained that the disaster recovery site will complement existing security safeguards, boost system reliability, and protect taxpayer money.
His remarks follow a recent Auditor-General report that flagged transparency gaps and highlighted the potential misuse of billions of shillings collected through the platform. Lawmakers had raised questions on accountability and oversight of eCitizen operations.
Addressing Oversight and Transparency
Kipsang assured the committee that the state retains full control over all data hosted on the platform and that measures are being enhanced to block unauthorised access and fraudulent activity.
“Just like a car requires maintenance after purchase, our digital platforms need constant oversight and backup,” he added.
Committee members were also briefed on the status of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system and the Kenya Citizenship and Immigration (Amendment) Bill 2025, which seeks to address the situation of stateless persons.
Future-Proofing eCitizen
The PS emphasised that the disaster recovery initiative will not only protect against risks but also help future-proof the platform as demand grows.
He highlighted ongoing collaborations with service providers handling payment integrations and messaging systems for eCitizen. The aim, he said, is to reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and enhance public confidence in government digital services.
Also Read: Auditor General Raises Questions Over Ksh15.5 billion eCitizen Revenue
According to Kipsang, the recovery site will be a key part of a broader strategy to strengthen eCitizen’s infrastructure, enabling it to handle increasing traffic while maintaining transparency and accountability.
Auditor General cites unaccountability of the eCitizen funds
This comes after a previous audit by Kenya’s Auditor General, Nancy Gathungu, revealed that Ksh44.8 billion collected through the eCitizen digital payments platform during the 2023/2024 financial year is unaccounted for.
According to the report for the year ended June 30, 2024, a total of Ksh 100,842,646,586, inclusive of an amount of Ksh 44,816,483,773 in respect of revenue receivers, was collected through the e-Citizen Government Digital Payments (GDP) platform.
Also Read: REVEALED: Billions of Taxpayers Money Diverted to Private Accounts via eCitizen
However, a review of the e-Citizen portal and the revenue statements revealed variances between balances reflected in the revenue statements, the e-portal system, and the ledger, casting doubt on the completeness and accuracy of receipts reported by the receivers of revenue amounting to Ksh44,816,483,773.
The funds were allegedly diverted through opaque transactions, unauthorised accounts, and inadequate oversight.
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